After a Rip-Roaring 2023, the Markets Are Taking a Breather (2024)

FAQs

What is the average stock market return over 30 years? ›

Average Market Return for the Last 30 Years

Looking at the S&P 500 for the years 1993 to mid-2023, the average stock market return for the last 30 years is 9.90% (7.22% when adjusted for inflation).

Some of the most significant stock market crashes in U.S. history include the crash in 1929 that preceded the Great Depression, the crash in 1987, known as Black Monday, the dotcom bubble crash in 2001, the 2008 crash related to the Financial Crisis, and the 2020 crash following the outbreak of COVID.

Not only are corrections more minor than crashes, but they are also more gradual, too. It typically takes five months to reach the “bottom” of a correction. However, once the market starts to turn, it can recover quickly. The average recovery time for a correction is just four months!

Throughout the 1920s a long boom took stock prices to peaks never before seen. From 1920 to 1929 stocks more than quadrupled in value. Many investors became convinced that stocks were a sure thing and borrowed heavily to invest more money in the market.

The historical average yearly return of the S&P 500 is 9.88% over the last 20 years, as of the end of April 2024. This assumes dividends are reinvested. Adjusted for inflation, the 20-year average stock market return (including dividends) is 7.13%.

Your portfolio might lose value, but losing value is different than losing money. When stock prices fall, your investments are not worth as much. But the market will inevitably rebound, and when that happens, stock prices will increase once again -- and your portfolio will regain the value it lost.

And the shocking leader of the bunch? President Calvin Coolidge, who took office in 1923, whose stock price performance change was a whopping 208.52%, for an average monthly return of 1.74%. That's the largest for any president since the start of the 20th century.

The market sees a greater than 80% chance of at least five rate cuts from current levels by the end of 2024. Investor optimism about the economic outlook has improved dramatically from a year ago, but there's still a risk that Fed policy tightening could tip the economy into a recession in 2024.

How long did it take the stock market to recover from 2008? ›

The bounce-back from the 2008 crash took five and a half years, but an additional half year to regain your purchasing power.

Over this 72 year period, based on my calculations, there have been 36 double-digit corrections, 10 bear markets and 6 crashes. This means, on average, the S&P 500 has experienced: a correction once every 2 years (10%+) a bear market once every 7 years (20%+)

The best recession stocks include consumer staples, utilities and healthcare companies, all of which produce goods and services that consumers can't do without, no matter how bad the economy gets.

Business titans such as William Boeing and Walter Chrysler actually grew their fortunes during the Great Depression.

Stock Market Historical Returns

40 Years (1982 – 2022): 11.6% annual return. 30 Years (1992 – 2022): 9.64% annual return. 20 Years (2002 – 2022): 8.14% annual return.

As mentioned above, stocks generally perform better than real estate, with the S&P 500 providing an 8% return over the last 30 years compared with a 5.4% return in the housing market.

Imagine you wish to amass $3000 monthly from your investments, amounting to $36,000 annually. If you park your funds in a savings account offering a 2% annual interest rate, you'd need to inject roughly $1.8 million into the account.